Fun European Stonechat Facts For Kids

The scientific name of the European stonechat is Saxicola rubicola. It breeds in the European stonechat range, which includes Western, Central, and South Europe, Northern Africa, and Turkey. It is a non-migratory or short-distance migrant bird species.

Its non-breeding and migration areas are Northern Africa. The European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) belongs to the family Muscicapidae. Its physical description includes that these birds have short wings, the male has black upperparts, a black head, a white-collar, a white patch on the wings, orange throat, and breast.

Its white rump and orange breast are distinct features of this species. The female has brown upperparts, head, dark brown neck, underparts, rump, and belly.

The juvenile resembles the female and has paler brown plumage. The conservation status of this bird species has not been assessed. The female lays four to six eggs in a nest close to the ground.

If you find these European stonechat facts interesting, also check out flycatcher and hummingbird facts!

European Stonechat Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a European stonechat?

The European stonechat is a passerine bird and a member of the Muscicapidae family.

What class of animal does a European stonechat belong to?

The species Saxicola genus belongs to the class of birds, Aves.

How many European stonechats are there in the world?

The exact number of European stonechats in the world is not known. An estimation of the numbers of these birds is not available either as it is Not Evaluated in the Red List. The breeding population in the United Kingdom range is estimated to have 59,000 pairs.

Where does a European stonechat live?

The European stonechat population is distributed across West, Central, South Europe, North Africa, and Turkey. It is a non-migratory or short-distance migrant bird species. Its non-breeding and migration areas are Northern Africa and the Middle East.

What is a European stonechat's habitat?

The habitat of these European birds is heathland, coastal dunes, and grasslands. It breeds in areas that are scattered with small shrubs and bramble and open gorse. This species can usually be found at an altitude up to 1640.4 ft (500 m) above sea level, sometimes 2624.7-5905.5 ft (800-1800 m) in the Italian Alps.

Who do European stonechats live with?

The European stonechats are usually solitary but can be seen in pairs during the breeding season. The male usually protects the female in this species. The male perches above her and follows her when she flies somewhere; this is called mate-guarding - the male guards the female from other males.

How long does a European stonechat live?

The average lifespan is four to five years but can live up to a maximum of seven years.

How do they reproduce?

European stonechats attain sexual maturity at the age of one year. During the breeding season, they form monogamous pairs, but they don't mate for life.

The female builds the nest using dried grass, hair, and feathers and is placed close to the ground hidden by vegetation. The female lays eggs in the morning at daily intervals.

The clutch contains four to six pale-bluish or greenish-blue eggs with reddish-brown freckles. The European stonechat egg weighs 0.1 oz (2 g) each and is around 0.7×0.6 in (18.7×14.4 mm) in size. The eggs are incubated by the female for two weeks after the last egg is laid.

While both parents care for and feed the chicks, they are brooded by the female. The nestlings fledge 12–16 days after hatching but are provided by the parents for the next four to five days.

After this, the female builds a new nest for another brood while the male feeds the young for 5-10 days. These birds can raise two to three broods in one breeding season.

What is their conservation status?

They are Not Evaluated by the IUCN Red List yet. 

European Stonechat Fun Facts

What do European stonechats look like?

This species of stonechats has shorter wings in comparison to other stonechats. The adult European stonechat male has black upperparts, a black head, a white collar on its neck, a small white patch on the wings, an orange throat and breast, and a white belly and vent.

It also has a very distinctive small white patch on the rump, which is often black-streaked.

The adult European stonechat female has brownish upperparts and heads and lacks white patches on the neck, rump, underparts, and belly; instead, these areas are streaked with dark brown. The only white part on a female is a patch on the wings, often a buff white.

How cute are they?

European stonechats are very cute. They have beautiful coloring and are tiny and fluffy looking.

How do they communicate?

The song of a male is high and twittering and is sung from a perch. Typical calls are 'chak' as an advertising call, 'wheet' as an alarm call, 'wheet-chak-chak' for greater alarm or danger.

Males emit a hoarse 'krrrr' or 'chee-chee' sound to display aggression. During courtship, the male sounds a long 'whiiiii' and the female a quiet 'sisisisisi.'

The male performs a characteristic song flight displaying the white patches on wings and white rump after flying up from the shrubs. Proclamations of designated breeding areas are made by the male's song, sung from a perch or bushes in an upright posture while displaying its bright orange-colored breast.

How big is a European stonechat?

The European stonechat is 4.5–5.1 in (11.5–13 cm) length, slightly smaller than the European robin. Its European stonechat wingspan is 7.8 in(20 cm). It is half the size of an acorn woodpecker and twice the size of a bee hummingbird.

How fast can a European stonechat fly?

The European stonechat flight speed is not known. Since it is a partially migrating bird species, it can fly for longer than average flight time compared to other non-migratory species.

How much does a European stonechat weigh?

European stonechats weigh 0.5–0.6 oz (13–17 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and female species of this bird. Thye is simply referred to as male or female European stonechat. There are prominent visual differences between the sexes that can be used to differentiate between them.

What would you call a baby European stonechat?

The European stonechat baby does not have particular names; it is generally called hatchling, juvenile, or baby.

What do they eat?

The European stonechat diet consists of small invertebrates like beetles, mayflies, ants, grasshoppers, damselflies, and spiders.

Are they dangerous?

No, they are not dangerous. This bird species is very small and doesn't harm humans or other birds.

Would they make a good pet?

These birds are relatively tame and have a common diet. They can be good pets but are not very common as pets as of now.

Did you know...

This species has two subspecies that are currently recognized; S. r. hibernans (western Europe in Atlantic coastal areas, western France) and S. r. rubicola ( South and east of the range, winters in North Africa and the Middle East)

The two subspecies follow Gloger's rule; within a species of birds and animals, more heavily pigmented subspecies tend to be found in humid environments (near the equator). The S. r. rubicola species is paler, has predominantly white larger white patches, and lives in dry European and Mediterranean climates.

In contrast, the S. r. hibernans species has darker brown plumage with less white and lives in a humid Atlantic oceanic climate. DNA fingerprinting revealed that the two subspecies are very closely related.

Why is it called a stonechat?

The stonechat is so because of its call. Their call sounds like two small stones hitting each other.

Are European stonechats endangered?

No, we do not consider the European stonechat endangered in Europe. The species member has a wide range of distribution in Europe. It is commonly found flying in its southern migration areas in the winter too. Its population does not face any threats all over the world and is considered stable.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Anna's hummingbird facts and giant cowbird facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable European stonechat coloring pages.

Second image by Bene Riobó.